


You Make My Heart Race

by snapchattingnct



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Street Racing, with a twist I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27859078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapchattingnct/pseuds/snapchattingnct
Summary: Mark thrived on the high of crossing the finish line first, leaving his rival and the prince from the neighboring city, Lee Donghyuck, in the dust as the adrenaline warmed his body inside and out. But he felt nothing but ice, cold fear seeping deep into his bones when he found Donghyuck kneeling in his own throne room, a sword pointing delicately at the base of his sun kissed neck.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 21
Kudos: 312
Collections: Favorites, NCT Bigbang Round 1





	You Make My Heart Race

**Author's Note:**

> I am posting this like 30 minutes before my pharmaceutics final, so this is unedited and definitely not proof read by a long shot. With that in mind, please excuse all the errors and mistakes that I've made. Hopefully I'll be able edit it right after my final so that it's at least readable lol, if not, I love y'all for reading this even with all the errors it may have. 
> 
> This au has been collecting dust in my gdocs for so long so I want to thank NCT BigBang for forcing me to write it. And of course, thank you to George for creating such a beautiful art piece for this fic! I will link is as soon as it's posted on her end~ 
> 
> With that being said, I hope you enjoy this~ I had the intention to write a lot more than this but with work and exams, I wasn't able to write much more. But this au will definitely be revisited once I finish a couple other wips~
> 
> Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this short piece~
> 
> Update: I just finished my last final, so I got a chance to go back through and edit this~ There was so many mistakes y'all goodness. I'm so sorry to those that had to read that train wreck. Although, I am like functioning on three hours of sleep so if I happened to miss anything, I'm sorry... 
> 
> [George's artwork for this fic!](https://twitter.com/neodreamx/status/1334494942270550024?s=20)

“Do you think you’ll be able to beat me tonight, or will I take another victory from you, _Prince Minhyung_?” Donghyuck teased him, eyes glistening ever so brightly, cheeks a little rosy from the autumn winds.

Leaning back against the leather seat of his car, Mark rolled his eyes, a small smile still dancing across his lips though, “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that, Donghyuck? I hear it a thousand times over on the daily.” 

“You’re just so easy to annoy that’s all.” Donghyuck smiled cheekily at him before tugging tenderly on his ear. “You get so riled up when I call you that. It’s cute. You’re like an angry, little baby cub.” 

“I’m older than you.” Mark reminded him as he shook his head. Then taking in the sight of Donghyuck’s terribly wrinkled suit, his navy jacket casted away to God knows where, and the top of his under shirt buttoned to reveal more of his honey skin, he said, “Your stylist is going to have a heart attack if they saw how you look right now.” 

When he reached over to try to button up a few of the buttons, Donghyuck laughed, “Well good thing they’re far, far away from here now. Although I would _love_ to see how Doyoung would look like if he saw me right now, getting ready to do some illegal street car racing with a couple other princes from the neighboring countries.” 

“Give that poor man a break, Donghyuck.” Mark couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “I swear that each time that I see him, he looks like he has aged ten years.” 

“But where’s the fun in that, my _dear Minhyung_?” Donghyuck sang out, smiling wider than ever when he heard the long sigh that Mark gave out. 

Shoving Donghyuck’s folded arms off his window, he pushed him further away. “Go get in line Hyuck, the race is starting.” 

“Eager to get your ass beaten by me, aren’t you?” 

“I think that’s my line,” Mark countered, his heart thrumming in his chest as he wrapped his hands around his steering wheel. “I think you’re forgetting who left you in the dust the last two times we’ve raced.” 

“I almost had you!” Donghyuck shouted, cheeks all puffed out, making him look way more adorable than he ought to be. “That last corner is always out to get me!” 

“Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, _sunshine_.” Mark laughed, and oh, the face that he got back in return from Donghyuck was priceless. 

Donghyuck stood frozen in between their two cars, eyes growing dark and his lips pressed into a thin line. Cheeks dusted a shade darker than before, Donghyuck leveled his eyes on him and glared at him, hard. At the sight, Mark had to bite the insides of his cheeks to stop himself from laughing any louder, because he knew for a fact that Donghyuck did not appreciate being laughed at, by anyone. 

He may have been easy to tease, but Donghyuck was just the same. It only took a couple simple words to get him heated and fuming. Mark knew that the younger prince was looking to intimidate him with his icy glares but they really weren’t as intimidating Donghyuck thought they were. If he looked like a so called angry, baby cub when he was pissed off then Donghyuck was a cute little grizzly bear. Despite being the princes to their own countries, neither of them were all that capable of showing that much anger or instill that much fear in another human being. Those qualities were left in the hands of their older brothers, far too much if Mark thought about it. 

Mark didn’t have much time to dwell on such things though as the sound of multiple engines revving loudly in the night reached his ears. On the other side, Lucas hollered out to him, “Come on, man! Quit daydreaming about your pretty boy! The race is about to start.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Mark shouted back, smiling widely as his hands gripped at his steering wheel tightly, waiting for the official cue to go. He was _so_ ready to out race his pretty boy. 

.

As he pulled back into his usual spot post-race, still riding on the high of crossing the finish line first, leaving Donghyuck in the dust, Mark slumped back in his seat and laughed. _God,_ he loved the adrenaline that had yet to fade away, still warming his body inside and out, that came from winning. Mark didn’t think he could ever grow tired of it. 

Heart racing at a speed that was greater than what his speedometer had reached near the end of the race, he barely heard the sound of his winnings cashing in. Hearing the distinct sound of his watch going off with a series of _‘pings,’_ he finally looked at the amount that was rolling in, the digits jumping and changing until the numbers were nothing but a blur. He barely had time to send Jaehyun a message to send his winnings to the children's foundation, when Donghyuck threw open the passenger door with a growl. 

“I fucking hate you,” where the first words that Donghyuck hurled at him as he closed the door behind him. 

Mark rolled his eyes at his dramatic ass, “You’re such a sore loser, Hyuck.” Taking in the way that Donghyuck was heavily pouting and crossed against his chest like a child, he couldn’t help but add on, “Plus, I told you so, didn’t I?” 

“Shut the fuck up, Mark.” Donghyuck was fuming, there was steam coming out of his ears and his cheeks were bright red. “Unless you want the news headline to be _Prince Minhyung_ of Seoul strangled to death by _a rival country’s second prince.”_

“You’re so mean, Hyuck.” Mark sighed, before saying, “Come on, let’s get some fresh air to clear that pretty head of yours.” 

.

For someone who thrived off the adrenaline rush that came with cutting around tight corners at unfathomable speeds, Mark equally loved the calmness that came with exceptionally late night drives through the city. And he might just loved it a little bit more with Donghyuck at his side, riding in the passenger seat. 

It didn’t take long for all the pent up anger to dissipate out from his little body. With the windows pulled down and a hand stuck out to feel the night’s cold air threading through his fingers, Donghyuck had his eyes closed and an easy smile on his lips. 

Sneaking another peek at the golden boy, Mark increased the volume by a notch, letting Donghyuck’s playlist fill the empty space between them. 

Mark barely had his hand on the steering wheel, letting it hang lazily as he drove with one hand. A stark difference to when he’s racing through the city with the intent to win. Unlike now, when he was racing, Mark had both of his hands tight on the wheel, eyes ablaze and focused on the road ahead, calculating his every turn. Now though, it was as if he was a daze, mind barely paying any attention to the empty road in front of him.

During the day, these streets were packed to the brim with cars and traffic was unavoidable. At night though, the streets held little to no traffic. There were just a few city buses making their last rounds for the night before retiring until the morning. And of course their security team tagging not more than a car’s width behind them. 

Suddenly, breaking the calmness of the night, Donghyuck let a soft giggle slip past his lips. “You know what I was just thinking about?”

“Hm?” Mark hummed, curious to what was currently occupying the younger prince’s mind.

“Don’t you think it’s a little funny, that you, Mark Lee, Prince Minhyung of the Seoul doesn’t have a driver’s license?” Donghyuck questioned, amusement dripping from every word. “How could the best racer in this city, who’s been practically driving since the day he was born, not have a driver’s license?”

“Because I don’t.” Mark laughed with Donghyuck. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “Having a driver’s license doesn’t mean anything.”

“Um, yeah it does. It pretty much indicates whether or not you can drive or not.”

“Well, I don’t have a driver’s license, and I’m still driving right now. It hasn’t stopped me before.” He countered back just as easily.

“Point taken,” Donghyuck nodded. “But you should get a driver’s license. It’s like the most basic thing that you should have if you’re going to drive around. Plus the test is _so_ easy. It’ll be a walk in the park for you.”

“It’s dumb and pointless.” Mark commented. “And I’m literally in charge of signing off on everyone’s driver’s license in the city. I really don’t think I need one.” 

Rolling his honey eyes, Donghyuck scoffed. “So, Taeyong still has one and he’s your brother. I mean unless you’re scared that you can’t pass your own test.”

“I know exactly what you’re trying to do, Donghyuck, and it’s not going to work.” 

“You’re like no fun, Mark.” 

He had thought that the conversation would have ended there, but he should have known better than to assume so. Whenever Donghyuck was around, it was a neverending series of stories and questions and insults. Life was never dull with someone like Donghyuck. Mark loved it, no matter how much he argued that he didn’t. 

“Doesn’t the security team get tired when they’re just following us around mindlessly like this?” Donghyuck asked, peeking at the rear view mirror, looking at the series of dark, tinted cars that had been tailing them the entire time. “Don’t they have anything better to do than this?”

“Well they wouldn’t want a blood bath to occur between their precious princes would they?” Mark chuckled, fingers drumming on the steering wheel along to the beat that was floating through the car’s stereo. “I hope that you haven’t forgotten that we’re from rival countries, on the brink of war too.” 

“Johnny and Taeyong are just stupid.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “And then our advisors are even stupider.” 

“You think that everything is stupid,” Mark shook his head fondly. 

“Because most of it is. And the most stupid thing is our security team tailing us right now. What is it going to take to get some peace and quiet, plus a little privacy around here.” 

Sniffling back another laugh, Mark said, “I don’t think those words are part of our vocabulary, Donghyuck. Peace and privacy isn’t something that you’ll get when you’re a prince in line for the throne.” 

“Ugh, I didn’t ask for your smart ass comments, Mark, “ Donghyuck groaned out loud, throwing his hands up in the air for an extra measure to show how displeased he was before drawling out, “What I’m trying to say is, can you out race the security team?” 

Mouth growing slack, Mark looked at him incredulously, unable to believe what he just heard. “Excuse me?” Pride incredibly wounded, he gasped, “Dude, what kind of question is that? Of course I fucking can. I literally just wiped you out not more than an hour ago. Losing my own security team plus yours is a piece of cake.” 

“Then prove it,” Donghyuck taunted, eyes burning in a way that made his own heart race faster than ever. 

Mark really hated the way Donghyuck had an uncanny ability to make him throw all his common sense out the window. All it took for him to lose the reign on his own personal judgment and to cast all the rules aside was a simple smile. As a prince, he shouldn’t be swayed this easily into doing things that he usually wouldn’t do, but it was so hard to say no to Donghyuck. Mark knew for a fact that the Prince of the Jeju Isles was spoiled to no end in his homeland, from his parents to his older brother to even his so called advisor that he claimed he hated, and of course the people of Jeju. And it seemed like the same thing applied when he was in other countries too, no one was able to deny him of anything. 

Knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to talk Donghyuck out of his one, Mark sighed, long and slow. Then reaching into his suit jacket, he tugged his sensor card out from within his pocket. With the heavy device in the palm of his hand, he laid it out to Donghyuck, saying, “Give me your sensor.” 

“Oh, breaking the rules aren’t we?” Donghyuck commented with a raised eyebrow, but handing over his own sensor card regardless. “I _love_ it when you break the rules.” 

“Of course you do.” Mark sighed again before switching the both of their sensors off, effectively cutting off the tracking device in them. “You just love leaving a trail of chaos wherever you go, Donghyuck.” 

“You are absolutely right, Prince Minhyung of Seoul,” Donghyuck laughed, the sound of his melodic voice floating all around them, making his heart stutter in his chest. And Donghyuck only laughed even louder as he stepped down on the accelerator, speeding off the next ramp, creating distance between him and the cars behind them. 

Donghyuck screamed and giggled out into the night, arms stretched out to reach at the stars, and Mark couldn’t help but think it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. 

. 

Laid out on the hood of his car with stars dancing above their heads and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filling their ears, Mark closed his eyes. He breathed in the salty air, relishing in the feel of the cool breeze rippling across his skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. It was a little colder than he would have liked but it honestly wasn’t all that bad, not when he had a personal sun laying right beside him. 

He wasn’t all that sure how Donghyuck was capable of producing so much body heat, but he wasn’t complaining. It was nice and cozy laying next to Donghyuck like that. Donghyuck's hand was right next to his own, the tips of their fingers almost touching, and the proximity of them was enough to keep him warm. And when he turned his head just slightly, he was met with the sight of Donghyuck’s warm honey eyes staring into his own, the stars reflecting off of them. That alone was enough to send a fire licking up the entirety of his spine, warming him up almost instantly. 

Drawing his eyes away from them, Mark looked at his red cheeks and frowned when he couldn’t see a single constellation on Donghyuck’s honey skin. Pulling his hand up to wipe away the makeup that was covering him, he mumbled through a frown, “Maybe you should fire your makeup artist. They’re caking on so much foundation on your face.” 

Mark could still feel Donghyuck’s eyes on him, staring at him so intently, so much that Mark felt like he was looking through him. It was silent for a beat, then another, and his heart almost jumped into his throat before Donghyuck breathed out, “Yeah, I told Doyoung to get me someone else, but it’s a working process.” 

Thumb still pressed against his soft skin, Mark continued to rub away at the cursed foundation until he could see Donghyuck’s beauty marks peeking through. It was only when they were on full display that he was satisfied. “Good,” he hummed as he allowed his thumb to linger on Donghyuck’s cheek for a second longer than necessary, loving the warmth of it on his skin. 

Letting his hand fall back to his side, he turned his eyes back up to the stars. This time though, he left his hand right on top on Donghyuck’s, smiling at the way Donghyuck’s breath hitched at the contact. “I’m sure it’s taking Doyoung a little longer than usual to find you a new person with Johnny’s and Taeyong’s marriage hovering over his head.” 

With a loud groan, he watched out the corner of his eye as Donghyuck threw an exasperated arm over his eyes. “Don’t even get me started on on that stupid ass marriage. If I hear Johnny complain about it one more time, I will murder my own brother before Taeyong can do it. I am _sick_ of hearing him whining and being a pain in the ass about it.” 

“Trust me,” he laughed, “Taeyong isn’t any better. He’s been taking his anger out in the kitchen though, but I don’t think the kitchen staff appreciates how fast he’s going through their baking supplies. I also don’t think I can handle another rant night or eat another cookie. Taeyong’s baked enough cookies in the last week to feed the entire nation, I’m sure.” 

Peeking out from his hand, Donghyuck asked, “So, Taeyong’s been making his super duper amazing double chocolate chip cookies and you’ve been hoarding it all to yourself?” 

“Unwillingly, yes.” 

“Sharing is caring, you know, Mark?” Donghyuck stated.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mark laughed. “I would have shared it with you if I could. But I don’t think our security teams would appreciate me sneaking past the palace walls and smuggling you some cookies. Your people would think that I’m trying to poison you in the middle of the night or something. I know we’re on the brink of war, but let’s not be the actual catalyst to it now.”

“I can’t believe I’m friends with you.” 

“I don’t think that we are, Donghyuck.” Mark shook his head, the corners of his lips tugging upwards, making his cheeks hurt with how often he had been doing it tonight. “We’re rivals if you haven’t forgotten.” 

“Our countries are rivals, we’re not.” 

Donghyuck wasn’t wrong, he hardly ever was. Their countries were rivals, even their older brothers were, but they weren’t. They haven’t been since the day Prince Jaemin invited the both of them to his fifth birthday party and they met for the first time. 

Since the day he was born, Mark had been taught that people of Jeju were awful people, greedy in every way possible and blood lusty over things that they couldn’t have. He had believed that, right up until he met Donghyuck, a small, cute chubby boy that had a smile of the sun. With each lipsy word that left his lips, it chipped away at the thoughts that his country had instilled in him about the nation across the ocean because Donghyuck was nothing like what he had been told. Donghyuck was funny, warm, and so sweet, sweeter than the maple syrup that their country was known for. Mark knew that he should hate Donghyuck, but he couldn’t. How could he possibly hate someone as amazing as Donghyuck?

“How did our countries become rivals anyways?” Donghyuck questioned, peering up at the night sky like he could find the answers written in the stars somewhere. 

Mark thought about it for a moment, because it was a good question. How _did_ their countries become rivals? He couldn’t remember anything of importance during his childhood that would have triggered the intense rivalry that their countries bore for one another. All that he remembered was that from the moment he was born, their countries had bad blood fueling between them. It must have been something that had happened before their time. He remembered learning about it in one of his history lectures once, but he found it too boring and stopped listening halfway through. 

As he parted his lips to say this, a series of shouts reached his eyes. Springing up from his spot, he whipped his head in the direction of where the sound had come from, only to come face to face with the fuming face of the head of his security team. 

“ _Prince Lee Minhyung,_ are you fucking insane?” Jaehyun cursed at him, eyes hard. “Turning off your sensors? Are you out of your goddamn mind? What would have you done if something had happened to you? To either one of you?”

So much for the peace and quiet they had. Rolling his eyes, Mark slid down from the hood of his car, standing face to face with Jaehyun. He _hated_ when Jaehyun addressed him like that. “Well, nothing happened and we’re both in one piece so it’s fine.” 

“It is not fine.” Jaehyun stressed, the tips of his ears turning a fiery red. “I am in charge of your safety and I can only assure the highest level of security for you when I know when and where exactly you are, which I can’t do when you turn off your sensors like that!” 

Mumbling a curse under his breath, Mark turned their sensors back on, tossing Donghyuck his too before he watched an excessive amount of notifications come rolling in. Half of them had been from Jaehyun and the rest of the security team scrambling to find his whereabouts, the other half had been from Taeyong, ranting once again about no one other than Johnny. 

Beside him, he heard Donghyuck let out a long sigh before his feet stepped down onto the pavement. “Doyoung is calling for me. I have some dumb ass meeting with him and the other officials or something.” 

Mark grimaced, knowing how extremely boring and painful those meetings were because most of his days were filled with them too. 

“Prince Donghyuck, your security team is waiting for you too.” Jaehyun commented. “I think it’s time for the both of you to return back.”

.

En route back to the palace, he had gotten a brief and curt message from Taeyong requesting for his presence in the throne room. What his older brother could have possibly wanted to talk to him about? Mark didn’t have a single clue. The more he thought about it as he made his way through the palace’s corridors with Jaehyun hot on his heels, it must have probably had something to do with his little spontaneous escape with Prince Donghyuck. 

Hefting a long and weary sigh, he pushed at the wide double doors, not waiting for a second later for the guards stationed at the door to open them for him or announce his arrival. As he pushed through the doors, there was nothing in the world that could have prepared him for the _absolute chaos_ that he came face to face with. 

Mark wasn’t even sure if the word chaos was even enough to cover it. 

He knew that when it came to Johnny and Taeyong, they were always treading on dangerous waters with those two. Mark had never seen any two people hate each other’s guts so much. The level of hate that was brewing between them was ridiculous, especially for two people that were _supposed_ to marry each other, regardless if it was an arranged marriage or not. 

Whenever those two were anywhere remotely close to one another, it always ended with the two of them at each other’s throat, endless amounts of insults and curses thrown between them. Mark just didn’t think he would live to see the day that they would _actually_ be at each other’s throat, with the pure intent to _kill,_ swords and all.

Johnny had one of the guard’s swords pressed up against Taeyong’s neck as he gripped at the front of his brother’s suit, wrinkling the pristine fabric underneath his fingers. Instead of fearing the weapon at his neck, Taeyong had his jaw locked, eyes steely, as he snarled back at his supposed fiance. 

That sight didn’t make his heart lurch as hard as it did when his eyes landed on Donghyuck. 

_Oh, Donghyuck._

He felt nothing but ice, cold fear seeping deep into his bones when he found Donghyuck kneeling in his own throne room, a dagger pointing delicately at the base of his sun kissed neck. One of his royal guards had Donghyuck in a headlock as he hissed, “Crown Prince, if you don’t drop your sword away from His Highness, I will not hesitate to show your younger brother any mercy.” 

What the actual fuck was going on? Mark thought. He was away for a couple of hours and it seemed like that was just enough to set the entire palace aflame. He understood why their brothers were at each other’s neck the way they were, it was to be expected. But, Donghyuck _kneeling?_ The Prince of the Jeju Isles, kneeling? He wouldn’t stand for it. 

Donghyuck was royal blood, just like he was. Since birth, his knees have never once touched the ground. He was taught that others would kneel for him. They would bow down for him. Never the other way around. The same applied to Donghyuck, whether or not he was the Prince of the rivaling country. 

Feet moving across the room before he could stop himself, he ripped the dagger away from Donghyuck’s neck and casted it away, listening as the sound of the blade kissing the floor, scraping as it went. Hauling Donghyuck up to his feet and to his side, he growled, “You’re a Prince, soon to be King, your knees should never touch the ground. You do not kneel before anyone. _They_ kneel before you.”

His words were met with a second of deafening silence before one of his officials spoke up, saying, “Ah, how kind of your Highness to finally join us in such a _delightful_ meeting.” With a smile that Mark absolutely loathed, the man added on, “And I’m not sure if your Highness has already forgotten, but Prince Donghyuck will not become king for a long time. His older brother is first in line to succeed to the throne.” 

“Not for long,” Mark grounded out, earning him a couple wide-eyed stares. 

“Excuse me?” Johnny immediately dropped his sword from Taeyong’s neck upon hearing him. 

Clearing his throat, Mark tried to calm his racing heart as best as he could, but that was so much easier than done when he had the entire room’s attention on him at the moment. “Prince Johnny can only become King once he marries my brother, but as you all can see, that isn’t happening as smoothly as everyone has hoped, right? At the rate that they’re going, one of them will be dead before becoming King.” 

As he left Donghyuck’s side to walk towards the table, fingering at the edges of the marriage agreement between the two countries, he bit back the scoff that was threatening to leave his mouth as he looked at the empty signature lines on the document, where they should have been signed by the two princes. 

“The only reason that an arranged marriage is in order is to settle the idea of a potential war on our hands between us and Jeju Isles. It’s a diplomatic move, like most marriages are within our realm, a way to link our two countries together.” He continued to explain, staring hard at the marriage document in his hand. Mark didn’t dare stray his eyes far away from the parchment in front of him, he didn’t want to know or see everyone’s eyes on him despite feeling them very much.“But the details of the marriage never truly indicated which prince needed to get married, everyone just assumed the eldest princes would marry because that was what was always done.” 

“So, what are you trying to really say, Prince Minhyung?” Johnny asked him, waving his hand and sword in the air, telling him to continue on. 

“What I’m trying to say is that,” Mark began, licking at his lips as he prepared for the chaos that he was about to set loose, “there shouldn’t be a problem if me and Prince Donghyuck got married instead.” 

And chaos did he stir. 

.

“Are you fucking insane?” 

Those were the first words that Donghyuck hissed at him the second that they were out of the room. Tugging on lapels of his suit, Donghyuck dragged him down the corridor before shoving him inside one of the spare libraries. 

Dropping his head into the palm of his hands, Donghyuck all but yelled, “Like you’re a fucking idiot, do you know that, Mark? The biggest idiot I’ve ever met in my entire life.” 

With a small shrug, Mark leaned against the closed door and crossed his arms as he watched Donghyuck burn a hole into the carpet beneath their feet from how bad he was pacing back and forth. “You have to admit my idea is brilliant.” 

Stopping mid-pace, Donghyuck threw him a dry look, though his cheeks a little rosy as he spat out, “Yeah, like a way to spring a damn proposal on me.” 

“Oh, come on. Don’t give me that look.” Mark rolled his eyes. “We’ve talked about this before! And it was your idea too, not mine. I just happened to execute it.” 

“Yeah, well, it was an idea that wasn’t meant to be executed!” Donghyuck retorted, his cheeks growing more and more flushed the longer they talked. 

“Well, it’s out of the bag now.” Mark shrugged again. Then smiling at the blushing prince standing before him, he said softly, “Plus, I wouldn’t mind marrying a cute prince like you.” 

Cheeks blazing, Donghyuck peeked at him from under his lashes before he tore his eyes away, looking distractedly at a book on the shelf. Words with little bite to them, Donghyuck complained, “You get stuck with an amazingly beautiful and hot prince like me, and I’m stuck with an… idiot like you…” 

“Oh, you know that you love me, Donghyuck.” Mark teased. “Don’t even lie.” 

Usually Donghyuck was always pretty quick to fire a witty comment back at him to stand his ground, but he was met with an unexpected silence. After knowing Donghyuck for so many years, he could count on his hand how many times Donghyuck had actually been quiet like that. 

Closing the distance between them with a couple strides, he reached out to cup Donghyuck’s face in the palm of his hand, internally celebrating when Donghyuck didn’t shy away from his touch. Tilting Donghyuck’s face up so that their eyes could meet, he ran his thumb across his cheeks.

“I know arrange marriages aren’t ideal,” he began slowly, almost tentatively, but at the soft look that Donghyuck had in his eyes, he pushed himself to continue on, “but I think I can find a happiness with you, one that our brothers clearly wouldn’t if they got married instead.” 

Laughing to himself, he shook his head at the idea of their brothers _actually_ marrying. It would be even more of a nightmare for everyone. Despite it being the plan all these years, Mark just couldn’t envision it. He would also prefer not to hear about all of Taeyong’s whining more than he already was. He couldn’t imagine the amount of complaining he would have to listen to if they really tied the knot.

And it seemed that Donghyuck had the same sentiments as he groaned, “You’re right. If I have to hear Johnny whine and cry over this marriage one more time, I will launch myself off the nearest cliff.” 

“You and me both,” Mark hummed in agreement. Both of their brothers were such major headaches. 

But taking a step closer to Donghyuck, up until he could see the tiny stars in those honey eyes, he whispered, “I think that I can grow to love you too, to fall in love with you, to love you for the rest of my life.” Bring their foreheads together, eyes falling shut, he added in a much softer voice, “And I think that’s something you deserve.” 

Donghyuck was quiet again for the second time that night. He wanted to open his eyes so badly to see Donghyuck’s reaction to his words, but he didn’t think he had it in himself to face the potential rejection that he had coming his way. His heart raced frantically within his chest, fluttering like a hummingbird. 

Just when he was ready to brace himself for the rejection, Donghyuck answered him, words quiet but cutting through the air, “Me too. I think that you can be someone that I could grow to love, if not already…” 

Eyes snapping wide open, Mark gazed back at him breathlessly. If his heart wasn’t already bursting from his chest, it surely was now. 

“So, yes, Prince Minhyung of Seoul, it would be an honor to marry you," Donghyuck smiled back at him and it was such a beautiful sight to see.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again please check out the amazing art that [George](https://twitter.com/neodreamx/status/1334494942270550024?s=20) made for this fic as part of the fest! It's absolutely stunning! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated~ 
> 
> Stay healthy, happy, and safe everyone! <3
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/markeuhyuckie/status/1239041276454076417?s=20) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/markeuhyuckie)


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